Apparatus for raising sunken ships.



E.S. HAYFORD.

APPARATUS FOR RAISING SUNKEN SHIPS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 31.1916.

Patented June 5, T917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

E. s. HAYFORDQ APPARATUS FOR RAISING SUNKEN SHIPS.

Patented June 5 2 SHEETS -S HEET 2.

gwuwnoz APPLICATION FILED .IULY 3l. 1916.

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EUGENE s. Harman, or NEW oaLEANs, Loursrana.

APPARATUS FOR RAISING- SUNKEN SHIPS.

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Application filed July 31, 1916.

To all @07mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE S. Harronn, a citizen of the United States,residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State ofLouisiana, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements inApparatus for Raising Sunken Ships, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein tothe accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to improvements 1n apparatus for raising sunkenships, one obliect of the `invention being the provision of a flexibleenvelop capable of being collapsed and inflated, which is so constructedwhen collapsed as to be readily pulled into place within the ship, sothat the same may be readily inflated to displace the water within theship so that the ship may be readily floated.

A further object of this inventionis the provision of an auxiliaryinflatable envelop within the main envelop which provides a means tofloat the main envelop in position for this final inflation, after themain envelop has been pulled in to position within the ship.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of acollapsible envelop pro# vided with a compensating valve, whereby as theship is being raised, due to the buoyancy of the envelops, and the waterpressure is consequently decreased, the air pressure within the envelopswill be automatically decreased to prevent the bursting of the envelops.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional viewthrough the ship, showing one of the envelops in place and inflated, andthe second envelop being pulled in to place.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail side elevation of one of the envelopsinflated.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof.

Fig. i is a cross section taken on line l-#l of Fig. 2.

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are detail views of the compensating valve.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 10 designates the main envelop,any number of which may be used in raising a sunken ship 11, one end ofthe envelop 10 being provided with a loop or ring 19., by means of whicha cable 13 may be attached thereto, or by means of which a diver mayproperly Specication of Letters Patent.

lliatented June 5, 1917.

Serial No. 112,335.

have connected thereto an air supplying means whereby the envelop 10 maybe inflated.

In order to provide a means for automatr lally releasing the air fromthe envelop 10, due to the reduction of water pressure' as the envelopmoves upward, due to the buoyancy thereof, an annular opening 15 isprovided iu the bottom of said envelop, and a d isk or diaphragm 16 oflarger diameter than the opening 15 is secured upon the eX- terior ofthe envelop by the annular flange member 17 which normally holds thedisk 1G to close the opening 15, there being a plurality of openings 18formed through the diaphragm 1G and normally closed by the body of theenvelop adjacent the circumferential edge ofthe opening 15. Thus, itwill be seen that under normal conditions, the water pressure will holdthe disk 1G seated until such pressure is overcome by the air pressurewithin the envelop 10.

The disk or diaphragm 16 may be constructed of a flexible material suchas corrugated copper, bronze, or rubber, the same being so proportionedin shape that it will expand or bulge outwardly at any desired pressurefrom within the envelop so as to cause the annular openings 18 to beplaced in communication with the opening 15, the flange or annularmember 17 permitting this, but preventing the disk or diaphragm frombeing entirely disconnected.

In order that the envelop may be properly moved into position againstthe under side of the ship, there is mounted within each envelop anauxiliary tube or envelop 19, the same being adhesively or otherwisesecured to the incasing envelop 10, and itself beingV provided with asmall air tube 2O adapted to receive air from the pump or other airsupplying means, as such tube 20 is extended through and Within the tube14.

It will thus be seen that with the auxiliary tube 19 deflated, `and thetube 10 also deflated, the present envelop may be positioned p Vvelop 10will be floated'and heldY against the under side of the ships deck, sothat the same Will assume the `proper position to be fully inflated Whenair is forced into the envelop 10.

From the foregoing description, it is evident that a collapsible andflexible envelop or air tube that can be readily pulled down into thehold of the sunken vessel is provided, and that the same may be inflatedto a pressure slightly above that of the surrounding Water so as todisplace the Water simultaneously With the inflation of the tube, andthus providing a means When any number of these envelops are employed torender the ship or vessel buoyant, yso that it will float to the Waterssurface.

By providing the compensating valve, the reduction of the Water pressureas the vessel nears the surface will be taken care of, the air beingpermitted to escape from the envelops at the proper rate, so as not tomaterially reduce the buoyancy thereof, yet at the same time preventingthe bursting of the envelop.

What I claim as new isz- 1. An apparatus for raising sunken ships,including a collapsible and inflatableenvelop, means for supplying` airthereto, and an auxiliary inflatable envelop mounted therein andconstituting a buoyant support for the main envelop. f

Y 2. An apparatus for raising sunken ships,

including a collapsible and inflatable envelop, means for supplying airthereto, an auxiliary inflatable envelop mounted therein andconstituting a buoyant support for the main envelop, and means connectedto one end of the main envelop for directing the same in to position.

3. An appartus for raising sunken ships, including a collapsible andinflatable cnvelop, means for supplying air thereto, an auxiliary'infiatable envelop mounted therein and constituting aV buoyant supportfor the main envelop, and a compensating valve carried by the mainenvelop for permitting the i415 escape of air due to the reduced.pressure of the Water.

4. An apparatus for raising sunken ships,

including a collapsible and inflatable envelop, means for supplying airthereto, an auxiliary inflatable envelop mounted therein andconstituting a buoyant support for the main envelop, and a compensatingvalve can ried vby the main envelop for permitting the escape of air dueto the reduced pressure of the Water, said valve including a diaphragmprovided with a plurality of openings adjacent the circumferencethereof, and means for holding the same for limited movement over itsvalve port.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

EUGENE S. HAYFORD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

